Halloween: Candy, Anonymity, and Pure Old-Fashioned Fun

We carved the pumpkins, made the costumes, and toasted the pumpkin seesds.  The required viewing of Charlie Brown and the The Great Pumpkin has taken place.  We are now in the appropriate frame of mind for Halloween.  My kids don't need much prodding to become excited for this particular holiday.  The idea of dressing up and pretending to be someone else, as well as getting enough candy to choke a horse stimulates them enough.  They begin the countdown a week ahead of time and anxiously await the day they can put on their costumes and go trick-or-treating.  I find it amazing how the holiday has grown from a small affair of running wild, tipping outhouses and cows, to a full-blown mass-marketed extravaganza of decorations, masks and clothing, and candy galore. 

Initially, Halloween stemmed from a Celtic holiday originating some 2000 years ago called Samhain.  It celebrated the end of the year and the start of a new one.  On the night before New Year's Day, November 1st, the wall between the living and dead came down and spirits were thought to roam the earth, causing mischief.  People dressed up in outlandish costumes and roamed the streets to scare away the spirits.  They also built bonfires and would place embers into hollowed out turnips with holes in them to frighten any of the undead away.

Over the years, it progressed into a wild night, where gangs of young boys would run rampant throughout the cities and towns.  Some people, in efforts to keep their property from being vandalized began giving out candies and treats to placate the young people, and eventually it evolved into what we do today.  As a child, I remember the low hum of excitement all day long, wishing the sun to set faster so that the festivities could begin.  Kids adore this holiday because it allows them to play pretend in a big way as well as rake in all the goodies they can handle.  The interesting part for me, however, remains how involved adults become in this kid-centered holiday.  Adults seem to enjoy it more than the children, but for vastly different reasons.

On Saturday night, I went to the bar with my sister and a few friends.  People were dressed up in costumes of all kinds.  Sexiness, however, constituted the predominant theme running through the draculas, nurses, witches, fairies, et al.  Also, I noticed a sense of light-heartedness and freedom above and beyond what people exhibit at the bar on regular nights.  The idea of anonymity, even in it's merest forms, gave the patrons a sense of liberation not normally present.  The alcohol didn't have much to do with the increased levels of playfulness, flirtation, and freedom, it all had to do with pretending to be someone else entirely.

For example, a man I know from the bar normally dresses to the nines, has a calm and cool demeanor, and exhibits quite reserved behavior.  He's intelligent, quiet, and fun, but not usually outlandish in any fashion.  On Saturday, he showed up as a derelict and acted completely opposite to his normal behavior.  He had a blast dancing, flirting, talking to anyone and everyone.  I had a great time watching him morph into an alter-ego of sorts and just let loose.  I think then, that the major appeal of this holiday for adults would be to become someone else.  We all have that desire from time to time to be different than what we are, to behave in a way that excites or titillates us but doesn't fit with our everyday personalities.  Halloween provides the perfect opportunity to do so.

So, shake things up a bit.  Put on a costume and a mask, pretend to be someone you are not, and enjoy yourself fully until the yearly bachanalia of candy and anonymity puts itself to bed.  I certainly know I shall do just that.  Happy Halloween!